Anomalous X-ray Scattering Study of the Quasi-crystalline Al65Cu20Fe15 Alloy

The environmental radial distribution functions (RDFs) around Cu and Fe as well as the ordinary R D F of an as-quenched Al 6 5 Cu 2 0 Fe 1 5 alloy have been determined by anomalous x-ray scattering (AXS) and conventional x-ray diffraction techniques. The experimental information indicates that a strong directional dependence along the symmetrical axes exists for the Cu atoms but not for the Fe atoms. Almost identical RDFs were also obtained in both the as-quenched and fully-annealed states of the Al 6 5 Cu 2 0 Fe i 5 alloy. Thus, the small differences observed between diffraction profiles of the as-quenched and annealed samples of this alloy may be attributed to defects or strains introduced during the rapid quenching process.